France says supermarket refrigeration cyberattack affected about 700 stores
In short
France's economy minister said about 700 supermarkets had been affected by a cyberattack on refrigeration systems, Korean outlets reported. The attack raised some equipment temperatures to 50°C and forced retailers to discard food; the minister said food supply was not at risk.
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France's Economy Minister Roland Lescure told parliament on October 13 that about 700 supermarkets out of roughly 10,000 in the country had been affected by a refrigeration-system cyberattack, Asia Economy and Hankook Ilbo reported. Asia Economy quoted him as saying food supply was not at risk. Earlier reports had put the affected-store count at around 400 or 500. [ 5 , 16 , 18 , 21 ]
The attacks occurred between the night of October 11 and the early hours of October 12, according to Chosun Ilbo. Refrigerators and freezers reached temperatures of up to 50°C, and some stores experienced fires, the outlet reported. Les Mousquetaires said temperatures in equipment at 150 of its stores reached 50°C for six hours and affected food was discarded, Kyunghyang Shinmun reported. [ 6 , 14 ]
Carrefour said 80 stores had been affected, while Monoprix said about 5% of its stores were affected, according to Yonhap. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu ordered the national cybersecurity agency ANSSI to investigate. Danfoss, the Danish refrigeration-equipment company, said it was working with customers to mitigate the impact. Its spokesperson said affected products were older equipment no longer receiving software and security updates. [ 1 ]
Hankook Ilbo reported that ANSSI said on October 13 the attacks had not ended and that refrigeration-support devices from another company had also been targeted. The outlet quoted a Sekoia analyst reporting impacts in Spain, Portugal, Poland, Germany and Belgium. It also reported separate incidents affecting a Dutch retailer and a German municipality, while noting that the Dutch cybersecurity centre said there was no basis to conclude those incidents were connected. [ 21 ]
Why it matters
The attack caused food losses and disrupted refrigerated sections in stores. French authorities are investigating the attackers and coordinating with other European countries over possible impacts.
Key facts
- Economy Minister Roland Lescure said about 700 French supermarkets were affected. [ 18 , 21 ]
- Refrigeration equipment temperatures reached 50°C in some stores. [ 1 , 5 , 6 , 21 ]
- Retailers discarded food affected by the abnormal temperatures. [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]
- Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu ordered ANSSI to investigate. [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Who carried out the attack. Asia Economy reported that the perpetrators had not been identified.
- Whether separate European cyber incidents were linked. Hankook Ilbo reported that the Dutch cybersecurity centre had no grounds to conclude the incidents were related.